Rotherham

Rotherham's population increased by about 9,100 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed quarter of a million

In the decade to 2011, the population of Rotherham increased by 3.7%, from just over 248,000 to 257,000.

The addition of just over 9,100 people means this area's population increased at a slower rate than the total population of England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Rotherham was home to, on average, 6.4 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across Yorkshire and The Humber

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across Yorkshire and The Humber, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

An older Rotherham

Census 2011 data also show a change in the local population's average age.

Between the last two censuses, the median age of Rotherham increased by three years, from 38 to 41 years.

This area had a higher average age than Yorkshire and The Humber and remained slightly older than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The rise in age was because of an increase of just over 6,000 people between the ages of 60 and 69 years, while the population between 30 and 39 years decreased by just under 8,000.

About 12.0% of people in Rotherham are aged between 60 and 69 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Rotherham

Rotherham saw England's third-largest fall in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability.

In 2011, just over 1 in 15 (6.8%) in Rotherham reported being limited a little in their day-to-day activities, compared with 7.7% in 2001. The percentage who are considerably limited by a long-term health problem or disability increased from 4.5% to 5.3%.

England's largest decrease in the proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability occurred in Barking and Dagenham (from 5.7% to 4.7%) followed by Derby (from 7.3% to 6.3%).

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Rise in rate of self-employment

The percentage of Rotherham residents that were self-employed increased from 5.9% to 7.5% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who said they were employed remained close to 52.3%, while the percentage of Rotherham residents that were unemployed increased from 4.0% to 5.2%.

The proportion of self-employed people increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 7.2% in 2001 to 8.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.2% to 9.7%.

The rate of self-employment in Rotherham increased by 1.6 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they were self-employed, March 2001 and March 2011

Fall in social renting

Rotherham saw Yorkshire and The Humber's third-largest fall in the proportion of socially rented homes.

In 2011, just over one in five (21.5%) households in Rotherham lived in social housing, compared with 26.3% in 2001. The percentage of privately rented homes increased from 5.6% to 11.3%.

Across the region, only Sheffield (from 30.1% to 24.8%) and Kingston upon Hull (from 33.1% to 28.1%) saw a greater decrease in the proportion of socially rented homes.

The rate of social housing in Rotherham decreased by 4.8 percentage points

Percentage of households in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that rented socially, March 2001 and March 2011

Change in unpaid care provision

The percentage of Rotherham residents that provided at least 50 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 3.0% to 3.5% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing between 20 and 49 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.5%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 2.3% in 2001 to 2.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.1% to 2.4%.

The proportion of people providing 50 hours, or more, of weekly unpaid care in Rotherham remained close to 3.5%

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by care, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Rotherham

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Rotherham was among those who said they had no religion, rising 13.0 points.

In 2011, 24.1% of respondents in Rotherham gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 11.1% of those who answered in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion that described themselves as having no religion increased from 15.3% to 27.8%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Rotherham, 71.2% said they were Christian, compared with 86.1% in 2001. About 0.1% said they were Sikh, compared with 0.1% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who disclosed a religious affiliation and did not state their religion decreased from 8.4% to 7.1%.

In Rotherham, 6.6% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 7.8% in 2001. In Yorkshire and The Humber, 6.8% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001. Across England, 7.2% of people did not answer, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

The population without a religion in Rotherham increased by 12 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

More single people in Rotherham

The percentage of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased in Rotherham, but at a slower rate than in Sheffield (the local authority area that shares the largest boundary with Rotherham).

In Rotherham, the proportion of single people increased from 25.7% in 2001 to 30.5% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in nearby Sheffield increased from 33.6% to 41.2%.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the share of people who had never been married or in a civil partnership increased from 28.6% to 33.9%.

The proportion of married people in Rotherham fell from 55.1% to 49.8%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner increased from 10.4% to 11.9%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership was lower than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were single across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Rotherham residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 12.1% to 7.6% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 8 in 10 (77.1%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 64.5% in 2001. While the percentage of Rotherham residents that described their health as fair decreased from 23.5% to 15.3%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 10.3% in 2001 to 6.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Rotherham decreased by 4.5 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

More people cohabiting

The percentage of households in Rotherham, which comprised a cohabiting couple, increased from 8.6% to 11.2% between the last two censuses.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (28.5%) households had only one person, compared with 27.2% in 2001. The percentage of households in Rotherham which comprised a married couple (with or without children) decreased from 40.9% to 35.4%.

The proportion of households with an unmarried couple increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 8.7% in 2001 to 10.7% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 8.3% to 9.9%.

The percentage of households with a cohabiting couple in Rotherham increased by 2.6 percentage points

Percentage of households in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that had an unmarried couple, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Rotherham

In 2011, 4.1% of Rotherham residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from from 2.4% in 2001.

Across Yorkshire and The Humber, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 4.7% to 7.3%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 93.6% of people in Rotherham said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 96.9% in 2001. About 1.0% said they were from Mixed/multiple ethnic groups (White and Asian, White and Black African, White and Black Caribbean or Other Mixed), compared with 0.5% 10 years prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups increased from 0.2% to 0.8%.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Rotherham increased by 1.8 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, Yorkshire and The Humber and Rotherham by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employed people in Rotherham working less than 16 hours increased from 1.3% to 2.4% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just over 1 in 11 (9.1%) people aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census, compared with 12.2% in 2001.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (from 1.8% in 2001 to 3.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.9% to 3.1%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Rotherham increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Rotherham with only adult children living with their parents remained close to 10.8% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just under 3 in 10 (29.8%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 31.8% in 2001. The percentage of households in Rotherham without children increased from 57.7% to 59.4%.

The proportion of households with adult children living with their parents increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of Yorkshire and The Humber (which remained close to 9.3%). Across England, the percentage increased from 9.4% to 9.6%.

The proportion of households with only adult children living with their parents was higher than across Yorkshire and The Humber

Percentage of households where a parent lived with their adult children across local authority areas in Yorkshire and The Humber and the average across England, March 2011

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Area report data

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